Bag opener component for plastic bag dispenser

Abstract

A bag opener is presented as an accessory component for bag roll dispensers, which is suitable for multiple-ply bags (such as “star sealed” bags) that are dispensed from a continuous roll and allows bags to be dispensed to the user in a partially opened state.

Description

[0001]RELATED U.S. APPLICATION DATA[0002]Continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 14 / 756,067 filed on Jul. 27, 2015STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0003]Not applicableFIELD OF THE INVENTION[0004]This invention relates generally to devices that are designed to serially dispense plastic bags from a continuous roll, such as the type used for self-service produce, grocery or garbage bags. More specifically, this invention describes an accessory component that may be used to retrofit existing bag dispensers.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0005]Bag dispensers are ubiquitous throughout grocery stores and markets where produce and other items are displayed in bulk, and consumers select and bag their own merchandise for purchase. A common form of such dispensers utilizes rolls of bags, standardly referred to as “star-seal” bags, in which a tube of plastic is folded or gusseted to form multiple layers. The long tubes are welded laterally at uniform intervals to ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about adding a flap to existing plastic bag dispensers that can be opened partially. The flap is made of a specific material that has friction to separate the layers of the bag and pressure to keep them in place without damaging the outer layer. This flap can be attached to the dispenser with a flexible mounting adaptor that matches the design of the dispenser. The technical effect of this invention is to improve the user experience when accessing plastic bags from dispensers.

Problems solved by technology

A common complaint of users is that, once a bag has been removed, it is difficult to open.

This is partially due to the bag material, which has a tendency to build up a static charge causing the thin layers of plastic to adhere to each other.

However, it is also a deficiency of current dispenser designs that they do not provide a means for separating the plies as the bags are dispensed.

The invention also discloses a “brush” as a frictional element to assist in opening the bags, however, this mechanism is integrated into an interior panel and is therefore limited to use with the described dispenser design.

All of these solutions add extra cost to the individual bags, generating ongoing and unnecessary expense for the consumer.

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